Pat Riley said 'a few mothers and the Pope' have been better than Julius Erving off the court

Originally posted on Basketball Network
By Stephen Beslic | Last updated Nov 21, 2024 7:39 PM ET

For all his on-court greatness, Julius Erving spent (at least a part of) the 1970s in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's shadow. Then came the '80s, and Erving, despite winning the MVP award in 1981, couldn't outshine Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, who reduced the best player in the league conversation to only two names—theirs.

That said, the legendary forward had no match off the court. Epitomizing everything an athlete should, Julius was loved by everyone in the Association. Pat Riley, the Los Angeles Lakers head coach at the time, was no exception.

"There have been some better people off the court—like a few mothers and the Pope," he said. "But there was only one Dr. J, the player."

Ultimate respect

In an era ruled by cocaine, Erving was a positive anomaly. After the league—more precisely, David Stern—finally ended the cocaine pandemic, the legendary forward continued being the NBA's No.1 ambassador, embodying all the values the league was trying to adopt after years of turmoil.

"Dr. J" dazzled fans with his high-flying dunks and ahead-of-its-time on-court repertoire. However, his peers admired him for his persona.

That's why, despite being decades removed from playing his last NBA game—he retired in 1987 at 37—Julius is still admired by many. This includes Shaquille O'Neal, who, when talking about potential one-on-one matchups between Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Erving, mentioned that the latter is still his favorite player.

Shaquille O'Neal on Julius Erving: "My idol walked me into the Hall of Fame."
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) September 10, 2016

Perfect ambassador

Succeeding Erving as the face of the NBA wasn't easy. And even though Magic and Bird took the league by storm, the two of them couldn't share the crown. Thankfully, Jordan was drafted in 1984, quickly establishing himself as the prime candidate to fill Julius' shoes.

The North Carolina product was undoubtedly good enough on the court and had enough charisma away from it to become the NBA's No.1 ambassador. However, the Chicago Bulls felt "Nobody can replace the Doctor," knowing how difficult it would be to replicate his class.

"Nobody can replace the Doctor," MJ said. "He was the epitome of class and defined the NBA for me. It's a challenge to try and emulate him, but it's not as if I have to go out of my way. Being Michael Jordan means acting the same as I always have."

Ultimately, Jordan did things his way—through unprecedented dominance on the court, which gave him more leeway to make mistakes away from it. Does that mean he wasn't a worthy successor of "Dr.J?" No. It just means that the legendary forward set the bar so high that reaching it was never an option.

This article first appeared on Basketball Network and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: